The Call of Cthulhu: Haunting shadows
by dying english
Summary: Updated. The group learns that Ulrich's uncle has taken a case leading him to the old town of Innsmouth. Determined to find out what happened there six months ago Ulrich and his friends set out after him. Read and review
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one- night terrors

_Come to me now little one..._

Ulrich shivered.

_You belong to me, your blood is my blood, your soul is my soul, your mind... my nourishment._

Ulrich felt as though he had been plummeted into ice cold water. He heard a dark chuckle somewhere in the darkness.

_obey my call little mortal._

Suddenly, a set of massive jaws opened and Ulrich open and begin to suck him in.

_Ulrich... Ulrich...._

The jaws snapped shut.

"Ulrich!"

Ulrich awoke with a start. His creative literature teacher was standing over him, looking concerned.

"You were asleep." he said.

"Thank god." Ulrich gasped.

"What?"

"Nothing..." Ulrich said quickly.

He looked around the abandoned classroom. The bell had rang quite sometime ago.

"I- I'd better go." He said jamming books into his bag.

He started for the door.

"Ulrich?" His teacher called. "Your term paper?"

_Shit_

"Uh, about that Professor West... I was wondering if, if i could-"

"Get an extension?"

"...Yeah."

Profesor West sighed and took off his glasses. He started to clean them with a soft cloth.

"Ulrich, Ulrich, Ulrich. What are we going to do with you? I remember the day you came to my office and asked to join the class. Said you needed the extra credits. A week later you quit the soccer team and started working on a full english scholarship. You father was so proud. Not to mention-"

He stopped himself.

"Not to mention Jack." He said finally.

Ulrich said nothing. The mere mention of his brother made his blood turn cold.

"I know your brothers passing shook up your family. I mean suicide, him. I almost didn't believe it."

"He didn't kill himself." Ulrich said quietly.

The profesor didn't seem to hear him.

''But that was six months ago. You have to move on. Your grades depend on it."

"Yes sir." Ulrich mumbled.

"But in view of the circumstances, I'll give you the extension. You have till the end of Spring break to finish your paper. No longer."

"Yes sir. Thank you."

Ulrich turned and left the classroom, the dark voice still laughing in his head.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two- Bar night. Preparing for a road trip.

Later that evening, Ulrich entered the local bar looking grim.

"Well, well. The reclusive Ulrich Stern decides to grace us with his presence." A voice called from the bar.

"Hey Odd. Sorry I'm late guys." He said sitting down.

He kissed Yuma on the cheek and ordered a beer.

"Bad day?" she asked.

He nodded sipping his bitter beverage.

"Did you get the extension?" She asked.

"Bow chicka wow wow." Odd giggled. He was already pretty tipsy, so they ignored him.

"Yeah. West was pretty lenient. Gave me till the end of spring break to finish it." Ulrich said.

"Well that's good. You've decide what to write about right?"

He nodded.

"I'm heading back up to Arkham to research our family tree. I have an uncle that still lives up there."

"Arkham? Where's that?"" Aelita asked.

"Massachusetts. Close to Newberry Port."

"And you're going alone?" Jeremy asked.

"Of course. I'm not gonna let you guys ruin your spring break because i'm a dumbass."

"And were not gonna let you go on a six hour drive alone. We're coming with you whether you like it or not." Yumi insisted.

"Road trip!!!" Odd bellowed.

Ulrich laughed softly.

"Thanks guys. Thanks a lot."

The night carried on like this, until finally it was last call and they helped a very drunk Odd stumble out of the bar. Aelita and Jeremy who don't even touch alcohol simply clicked their tongues as Odd emptied the contents of his stomach onto the pavement.

"Azga goma hunil?" He muttered.

"Yeah, I've heard that." Ulrich said helping him to his feet.

"I'll take him home."Ulrich said.

He led Odd to his car and helped him in the back seat. He had a small waste basket in the back just in case.

"See you at home?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah."

Ulrich kissed her on the cheek. He heard Odd vomit again in the back seat, the dull sound of vomit hitting plastic confirmed his aim to be true.

"He'll be in bits tomorrow." Jeremy said.

Ulrich chuckled and got into his car. He turned the ignition and the engine roared to life. He waved to his friends and drove off into the night. Odd lived in the Miskatonic university dorm rooms, his fine arts scholarship had defiantly paid off. His roommate, Howard buzzed them in and helped Odd settle into the bathroom, saying he'd be damned if Odd vomited on his bed again.

Ulrich stayed with Odd until the worst had left him and started back home to his modest two bedroom apartment he shared with Yumi. They shared one bed room and the other was a computer room/study. Yumi was already asleep in the bed when he walked in. Ulrich crawled into bed next to her, being careful not to disturb her. He yawned and fell asleep almost immediately. That night he dreamed again. This time he was diving, nude, deep under water. The ocean was freezing, cutting into his flesh like knives. He had no control over his body, no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop himself. He kept swimming deeper and deeper through the dark ocean until-

His alarm went off snapping him out of his slumber. He opened his eyes and saw the early morning sunlight shinning through his window, a welcoming beacon of hope after a night of reluctantly exploring the deep of abyss that was his mind. He clicked the alarm off and rolled over to see Yumi starting to stir.

"Morning doll." He said.

She smiled at him and yawned.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"About seven. I'm gonna spend the day gathering everything we need, maps snacks, and then leave tomorrow morning. Sound good?"

"Sure. If that's the case I'm gonna sleep in today."

She stretched _and_ laid back down as Ulrich rose to take a shower.

When he got out he called Odd to see if he was conscious yet. Odd answered on the third ring, sounding like an angry grizzly bear.

"How you feeling man?" Ulrich asked.

He knew it was a stupid question to ask, he just liked to twist the knife a little.

"Like a million peso's." Odd muttered.

"Well be leaving tomorrow morning around eight, is that okay?"

"Going where?" Odd asked.

Ulrich sighed.

"_Figures."_ Ulrich thought.

"Just through some shit into a bag and be here around eight. We're going on a road trip."

"Oh. Cool. Later man, I'm gonna pieces of my stomach."

Ulrich chuckled, hung up and went into the computer room. He logged on to the internet and printed off map quest directions. He then went shopping for road snacks and other supplies. Something he noticed as he shopped was that certain people stared at him in the store and on the street. They had a blank look in their eyes, like they were looking through him, not at them. He shrugged it off, thinking he was simply being paranoid. It was around six when he walked through the door and saw Yumi sitting on the couch in her pajamas, working on a nursing assignment. She was the only girl Ulrich ever met that looked as gorgeous in a white t-shirt and Dr. Pepper sleep pants as she did in lingerie. Her hair was pulled back with pencils, acting as make-shift chop sticks.

"What?" she asked as she caught him staring.

"Oh, nothing. I uh, got the provisions. Ho Ho's, Twinkies. Basically, anything and everything to send ourselves into a diabetic coma."

"Nice. Do me a favor and stick me a Twinkie in the freezer?"

"Sure."

"I took the liberty of packing our bags. Jeremy and Aelita called earlier, they said they'll be here at about seven thirty. He's bringing his cousins 'shag wagon'."

"Ew, the one with the fluffy carpet?"

"The same."

"Well, it'll be roomier than the fire bird I suppose."

He walked out of the kitchen and plopped down next to her. She closed her book and snuggled next to him. They spent the evening watching television, Ulrich politely suffered through two hours of _Grey's anatomy_, as Yumi politely sat through an episode of _Robot Chicken_, which to her was longer than _Grey's_. Finally, it was time for bed.

Ulrich, who had been expecting another bizarre nightmare, slept soundly that night. Whether it was Yumi cuddled up next to him, or the powerful sleep aid Ulrich took before bed he wasn't sure, but for one night, the hounds of hell let him be. He slept dreamlessly, unaware that soon, nightmares would be the least of his problems.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

The next morning, Ulrich was awoken by the sound of a car horn outside. When he looked out the window he saw Jeremy, Odd and Aelita outside waving up to him. He started to wake Yumi but noticed that the shower was running in the next room. He knocked on the door.

"Yumi? They're here." He called through the door.

"Okay. Just a minute."

Ulrich dressed quickly and grabbed their bags, along with the snacks and his small laptop. He'd just set their bags next to the door when Yumi strolled out of the bed room.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yep."

They left their apartment and met up with their friends in the parking lot outside. Ulrich couldn't believe the remarkable tackiness that was the van. It made the _mystery machine _from Scooby Doo look bland and cololess. It was painted bright (blindingly bright) neon green, with and odd mixture of orange, yellow, and pink swirling around it.

"What new, fresh hell is this?" Ulrich asked.

"My cousin's big in the whole seveny's theme. He calls it 'the magic fireball'." Jeremy said.

"I call it an eyesore." Yumi said.

Jeremy laughed and helped Ulrich with the bags. They got evreything loaded and they piled inside, Jeremy driving and Aelita ridding shotgun. They left the parking lot of the apartment complex and made for the free way. It was a strange sight, the lanes next to them were packed with students heading down to Florida, to indulge in the spring break past time of prat falls and alcohol poisoning, while the lane that they were driving in, heading north, was virtually empty.

"Sucks to be them." Odd commented.

Like most car trips, they passed the time playing car games. At first they played eyespy, but when that wore thin, they began examining the interior of the car, a game they dubbed, _identify the stain._

"Uh.....looks like pizza sauce."

"maybe jelly..."

"I think it's a stain..."

"Gah! it's sticky!"

When this got old, they began to see if they could see shapes in the stains.

"That looks like a clown!"

"No way! that's a total lobster!"

"it looks like a stain..."

Finaly, after hours of this, they came across the Arkham city limits. They stopped at the nearest hotel and piled out. Mountain Dew cans, empty cigarette packs and twinkie wrappers littered the ground as the door slid open. Most of it had been there long before Jeremy even picked the car up from his cousin. They each grabbed their respective bags and entered the lobby of the hotel. They checked in and headed up to their rooms.

"Oh thank god for air conditioning!" Odd exclaimed plopping on his bed in a sweat.

"Thank god for in door plumbing!" Aelita said as she disapeared into th e restroom.

Ulrich sat in a comfy armchair and picked up the phone. He called his uncle to let him know he made it in town. it rang a few times and clicked to the machine. he left a brief mesage and hung up.

"Did you get a hold of him?" Yumi asked.

"No. Guess he's on a case."

"Case?"

"Yeah, he's a private detective. Don't see why he owns an apartment, he barely ever sleeps there. Our best bets to go down there tommorrow during his office hours."

"In the mean time, what is there to do in Arkham?" Odd asked.

"Not sure." Ulrich said thoughtfully. "I haven't been here since i was a kid... "

"Well, I am starving. Sitting in a car for eight hours, living off twinkies is a fun hobby, but i wouldn' do it for a living." Odd said.

They all agreed and left their hotel room. Across the street was a pleasent little brick building with a flickering neon sign above it that read, "Grill and Bar!". They walked inside, the promising scent of hamburgers and fries aroused their appities even more. They sat at the bar and ordered. Odd started to order a beer when everyone yelled no in unison. He settled for a coke. They ate their meal and played a few rounds of pool in the back, it was getting pretty late so they headed back to the hotel around six. The sun was just starting to set, casting eary shadows over the small city streets. They entered the lobby and headed for the elevator, when a voice from behind the reception desk called ulrich's name.

"Mr. Stern? A message from a Mr. Phillip Walters was left for you about half an hour ago."

The young night manager jogged up to them and handed ulrich a piece of paper. Ulrich thanked him and got back into the elevator.

"What does it say?" Yumi asked.

"Come by tommorrow around Noon. Uncle Phil." Ulrich read aloud.

"well, in the meantime, i'm gonna hit the hay." Odd said as the doors opened.

They all said good night to each other and retired to their rooms for the night. As Yumi took a shower, Ulrich reached into his bag and took out a slighly battered composition notebook. His brothers name was written across the front in sharpie marker. He opened it to the last page and read to himself,

_January 12 2009_

_Now, at my end i can finally see. What i am, what ive always been. I delved to deeply in the darkness and have paid for my crimes. I now walk in the shadows between worlds, frightend to even look in the mirror. It's my fault, itsallmyfault!!!!_

_I'm sorry Mom, dad, Ulrich. I know i don't deserve it but i hope that somehow, some day, you will be able to forgive me._

"What's that?"

Ulrich almost jumped off the bed, he had been so caught up in reading, he hadn't heard Yumi get out of the shower.

"Yumi, can i tell you something in ultimate secrecy?" he asked.

"Of course. what's wrong?"

He set the notebook aside as she sat down next to him.

"This was my brothers journal. I found it in his room after he... after he killed himself."

"Oh my god..."

"Remeber when he graduated and went abroad? and he came back all, well, different?"

"Yeah."

"He came here, to Arkham. but i dont know what happened after that. large sections of his diary were ripped out, the last entry was the day he killed himself. IK didn't come here to just write my paper. Something drove my brother to kill himself. something bad. I'm gonna find out what."

"And you think you're uncle might have some answers?" Yumi asked.

"Maybe. If he came here, he had to have visited him at least once. It isn't much, but i have to try. I hope you understand."

She thought for a momment.

"Of course i do." she said finaly.

"Thnaks." He said smiling. "I need to ask you a favor, tommorrow, i'm gonna go see my uncle alone. do you think that you can keep them entertained for a while?" He asked.

"sure. if thats what you wanna do?"

"I am. Thanks Yumi."

Ulrich put the journal away and turned of the lamp. He crawled into bed next to her. Ulrich closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_***authors note.**_

_**I know it's been awhile but I hit writers block awhile ago and when I came off it I had already began working on another project. Anyway, here it is; the long overdue chapter 4!**_

Ulrich held his head in his hands and shivered in fear. Voices, dark and guttural overlapped all around him. He looked up and saw faces of unimaginable horrors forming in the ceiling, laughing at him. He picked up a pen and began to write in his journal, his grip was strained and the words came out sloppy and barely legible.

_Now, at my end i can finally see. What i am, what ive always been. I delved to deeply in the darkness and have paid for my crimes. I now walk in the shadows between worlds, frightend to even look in the mirror. It's my fault, itsallmyfault!!!!_

_I'm sorry Mom, dad, Ulrich. I know i don't deserve it but i hope that somehow, some day, you will be able to forgive me._

He closed the book and rose shakily to his feet. He picked up the journal and stumbled across the room to his bed, muttering to himself. He bent down and removed a secret floor board under the bed that housed various objects; a pack of cigarettes, a skin mag, forty two cents in loose change, and a metal lockbox. He dropped the journal in the hole and took out the metal box. He slid the floor board back into place and walked back over to his desk. He plopped down in his chair and twisted the combination lock on the metal box.

28…6…42…12

The box clicked open and Ulrich reached inside. He pulled out a small .38 caliber revolver. The voices all around him cackled in delight, urging him to do it. He glanced up at the mirror and saw his pain stricken expression. Ulrich tried to scream but it was only now he realized he had no control over his body because it wasn't his. The pale, ghostly reflection of Jack stared back at him.

"I'm sorry little brother." Jack breathed.

He put the barrel of the pistol in his mouth and pulled the hammer back. There was a roar of approval, followed by an explosion, and then... darkness.

Ulrich woke up screaming his head off. He looked around the dim hotel room drenched in a cold sweat despite the spring heat. Yumi rose from under the foot of the bed clutching a large medical text book she had apparently dropped on the hardwood floor, a look of immense sorrow frozen on her face.

"Ulrich I'm SO sorry, I didn-

"What time is it?" Ulrich asked quickly fumbling for his watch.

"About ten. I was going to wake you in another hour or so."

"I gotta go now!" Ulrich said.

He jumped out of bed and pulled on a shirt and jeans at random from his bag. He grabbed his phone and the journal and headed out the door without another word. He took the elevator down to the lobby and bolted out the front door in hurry. He hailed a taxi and shoved some money into the drivers hand, not bothering to count it.

„Washington Street" Ulrich said quickly.

The driver shrugged and drove off. Twenty minutes later Ulrich arrived in front of the apartment complex his Unlce lived in. It was a tall, three story brick building with barred windows and an old rusted intercom next to the front door. Ulrich pressed the button for apartment 2A and waited for a response. A moment later, a tired voice muttered, "Hello?"

"Uncle Phillip? It's me, Ulrich."

The voice sighed.

"Come back later Ulrich, I was asleep-

"It's about Jack, Phil. I came to talk about Jack!"

There was a silence followed by a buzzing sound as the door swung open. Ulrich ran up to the second floor and knocked on his uncle's door. There was a sound of several locks and security chains clicking as the door was opened by a tired man in his late forties. His hair was black and starting to grey at the tips and he had dark bags under his eyes. Ulrichs uncle phil looked like he hadn't slept in days.

„Yeah, i figured." Phil muttered letting Ulrich into his small apartment.

The room smelled vaguely of cigarettes, coffee and cheap whiskey. Ulrichs uncle walked into the kitchen and came back out with a cup of coffee.

"What do you want to know Ulrich? Everything that's been said was said in the police report." He lit a cigarette and exhaled smoke just above Ulrich's left shoulder.

"Don't give me that Phil." Ulrich said. "You know Jack would never have just killed himself for any reason like that. He was fine before he came here. What did he talk to you about?"

Phil sipped his coffee silently. Ulrich sighed. He was getting nowhere slowly.

"I found this in his room." Ulrich said dropping the journal on the kitchen table.

Phil looked at the journal blankly and set his coffee down on the table.

"Where did you get that?" He asked quietly.

"His bedroom after they found him." Ulrich repeated. "There are large sections of it torn out; the last entry was the day he came home, the one before that was the day he left. Everything in between is gone."

Ulrich slid the journal over to his uncle who opened it to the final entry and began to read. His face paled as he pushed the journal away.

"Phil, something drove him to kill himself. I want to find out what. Jack came to see you during his stay didn't he? What did you guy's talk about?"

Phil sighed and snuffed his cigarette out in his coffee cup.

"It was a week after your grandfather died. Remember that wooden chest he left your brother?"

Ulrich nodded.

"Inside he found some kind of weird piece of jewelry. A necklace made of some strange metal similar to white gold but much lighter. There was a scrap of paper with it with the name Innsmouth written on it. Innsmouth is a city, somewhere on the Coast of Essex County north of Arkham. It's a fishing port, one of the many in the area. It used to be a very large city back in the early 1800's until the price of fish fell and the town's economy with it. Then, to make things worse, in 1846, the town's population was cut down by more than half when an unknown disease swept through it. They aren't overly fond of outsiders and many people in the surrounding areas stay away from Innsmouth. There's a large gold refinery there run by one Jacob Marsh, a sort of recluse, rarely seen even by the inhabitants of the decayed city."

Phil sighed.

"That's all I know at any rate. I think Jack went up there to see if we had any distant family floating around. He came back… changed. I don't know what he found out but it wasn't good. He stayed with me for a few days. He was all jumpy, scared of his own shadow. Talking in gibberish and muttering to himself. I woke up one morning to find he had gone. The next day was the day your mom called me in tears. If you're looking for answers, Innsmouth's the place. But let me warn you now Ulrich, you know how you're brother was, a horror movie freak, he didn't scare easy. Something bad must have happened to rattle his cage. Promise me you'll be careful?"

"I will. Thanks Phil." Ulrich said.

He left his uncles library in a daze, the word Innsmouth burned into his skull and wouldn't leave his mind. He took a taxi to the Library and left Yumi a text saying he'd be back later. He logged onto a computer and began searching for Innsmouth on MapQuest but to no avail. He tried Google. Nothing. Ask Jeeves. Nothing. It was as though Innsmouth didn't exist.

_Okay. _He thought heading over to the Atlas section. _We'll do this the hard way._

The next several hours ticked away slowly, he had clearly underestimated the selection of atlases the library housed. He went through all the newer ones, still unable to find the fabled city on any modern map. The sun was going down outside and the librarian warned him they'd be closing in the next hour or so. Ulrich thanked her and went back to searching. His eye's fell upon a large leather tome in the corner of the top shelf and felt a strange tingle on the back of his neck. He felt like he'd seen the book somewhere before. He reached forward and placed his finger tips on the spine and gasped as the color of his sleeve changed from dark green to black. He felt himself grow a few inches taller and felt his hair recede into his skull. He lost control of his body as the hand that used to be his reached forward and plucked the book off the shelf. He opened it and began flipping through pages until he found a map of Essex County. He bit off the cap of a red pen and drew a circle around an area North West of Rowley Massachusetts. He walked over to the small table he had stacked his books on and circled the same area on his map.

_Innsmouth?_ He wrote above the circle. The hand writing didn't belong to Ulrich. This was sloppy, barely legible cursive. Ulrich wrote in standard.

"Excuse me, sir?" a voice called.

Ulrich looked up. He saw the same librarian he'd seen only moments ago standing at the foot of the stairs that led down to the main level.

"We're closing now." She said.

"Oh, okay." It wasn't Ulrich's voice. It was Jacks. He closed the book he'd been looking at and slid it back onto the shelf. As the book came into contact with the back of the shelf, there was another flash and Ulrich turned around to see the librarian staring at him expectantly.

"Did you hear me? We're closing."

"Oh…right, sorry." He muttered.

He grabbed his jacket and headed down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, the librarian called back to him.

"Sir? Your map?" She called.

She hurried down the stairs and handed him a folded map.

"Did-did I ask for this?" Ulrich asked feeling uneasy.

"Yes, when you first walked in. Remember?"

_No._

"Yes, yes of course. Thanks."

He took the map and headed out the doors of the library, pausing to inspect the map he'd apparently requested. His heart skipped several beats and his blood turn to ice as he saw a small area of the map had been circled and words written in his brother's hand had been written in red ink.

_Innsmouth?_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

Ulrich entered his hotel room in a daze. Yumi was sitting at a desk reading a book while Odd laid on the bed watching MTV, chuckling at the program while Jeremy sat on the side of the bed with Aelita, the two of them staring at his computer.

"Hey did you find what you were looking for?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah fine."

"Ulrich? You okay?" Jeremy asked. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Yeah fine." Ulrich repeated. "I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed. We'll head out in the morning."

"Head where?" Aelita asked.

Ulrich dropped the map on the bed next to her as he walked into the bathroom not saying another word. He entered the bathroom, turned on the sink faucet and splashed cold water on his face. He felt like someone was watching his every move. He felt like someone was whispering to him but he couldn't hear it. He felt he needed to hear it, had to hear it. He turned the sink off and looked up. In the mirror he could Yumi in the bathtub behind him. The tub was overflowing with blood and her throat was cut open. Her eyes staring at him. He gasped and whipped around, seeing the empty bathtub, clean and white. He sighed shakily and turned back to the mirror. Yumi's pale nude body was standing behind him staring at him, covered in blood and dirt. She wrapped her arms around him as he screamed her name.

"Yumi!"

"What? What's wrong?" Yumi asked opening the door quickly.

She looked concerned and scared, Ulrich's friends stood behind her looking confused. Ulrich looked around the bathroom shaking from fear.

"N-nothing. Sorry." He gasped.

Aelita sighed as she changed into her pajamas. Jeremy was sitting up in the bed, his back against the headboard, his computer open and in his lap.

"Ulrich's been acting so strange ever since this trip started." she thought aloud. "I wonder what's going on with him?"

"Maybe it's stress." Jeremy muttered not looking up from the screen. "I'm not finding anything on this Innsmouth though."

"That's not so weird is it?" Aelita said looking at herself in the mirror. "There's lots of towns that can't be found on modern maps. They just got lost by time."

"Yeah but I mean literally nothing. Like the town doesn't exist nothing."

"Strange." Aelita said thoughtfully as she turned sideways in the mirror and inspected herself.

"The only thing we can do is try to find it. It might just be a ghost town or something."

"Mhmm."

Aelita sighed and got into bed.

"It's just strange to see Ulrich like this." She said. "he's always been the strong one and now…"

"I know it. I'm sure he'll be fine." Jeremy said closing his laptop. "Night."

"Night."

Ulrich paced his room. The whispering hadn't stopped and was louder this time.

_I'm going crazy._ He thought. _what the hell is wrong with me?_

The voices hissed and rattled. His vision blurred as he stopped pacing and walked over to the dresser and began digging through them. None of the clothes inside were his. He pulled the drawer out and held up his brothers journal. He ripped out some pages and shoved them into the back off the dresser. He slide the drawer back into place and left the hotel room muttering to himself.

Ulrich snapped out of his dream and sat up breathing heavily.

"Ulrich?" Yumi asked. "What's wrong?"

Ulrich dove off the bed and ran over to the dresser. He pulled out a drawer and began feeling around in the back.

"Ulrich? What the hell?"

"He was here!" Ulrich shouted back.

"What?"

Ulrich turned to face Yumi and held up several ripped up pages of his brother's journal.

"My brother was here."

Yumi entered the hotel room holding two cups of coffee from the Starbucks down the street.

"What do they say?" she asked as she sat at the table across from him.

It had been about twenty minutes since Ulrich found the papers. He had spent most of the time sorting through them and smoothing them out.

"I haven't got to read through them yet. Most of them have been ripped apart but they are definitely his. Here!"

He held out a page and read aloud.

"Think I found Innsmouth on a map today. Leaving tomorrow to find it. If I'm right it's to the north east of Arkham on the coast. There's lot of gossip around the area about it. People treat it like an urban legend of sorts. Met this guy at the grill and he told me all about the place along with anyone else who was asked. I got like twenty different versions of the story but the common factor is that the town worshipped the devil or something and those who wouldn't were whipped out by a plague brought on by the devil worshipers. The official police report was that there was a riot in the streets between the Christians and the devil worshipers. Dunno which side won but by the end of it all more than half the population was gone. Must have been a hell of a fight."

"Sounds like a nice town." Yumi said.

"The latest entry I can make out is this one, right before he left Arkham." Ulrich said.

"How did you know where to find it?" Yumi asked.

"You'd think I was crazy."

"Ulrich what part of our lives hasn't been crazy?" Yumi argued.

"Good point." Ulrich sighed. "I uh… dreamt about it."

"…what?"

"I've been having these dreams lately about Jack. It's like I'm looking through his eyes, reliving his experiences. They've been getting more vivid and even happening during the day."

"Oh… okay…"

"See?" Ulrich said hopping up from the chair and crossing the room. "You think I'm nuts don't you?"

"Ulrich calm down." Yumi said standing up. "I just think it's strange okay? I mean super computers and virtual worlds is one thing but visions and psychic abilities is a little new okay?"

"How? Aelita had dreams about the hermitage!"

"Yeah but she was remembering things that happened to her. How could you possibly know what happened to Jack?"

"I don't know!"

Yumi sighed and sat down on the bed.

"Maybe… maybe your just stressed out or something?"

"Maybe I'm stressed?" Ulrich repeated.

"Well, it's been a tough year you know?" Yumi said. "Maybe… you need to talk to someone about it?"

"You think I need to be institutionalized again?" Ulrich said raising his voice.

"You were fine on the medicine and then you stopped taking it and now-"

"So you do think I'm crazy? I'm just a gibbering lunatic off my meds is that it?"

"I didn't say that Ulrich I'm just worried about-"

"I don't need you to worry about me Yumi!" Ulrich yelled. "I need someone to help me find out what happened to Jack! If you aren't going to help me then just go home!"

With that he grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the hotel room slamming the door behind him. Yumi held her face in her hands and broke into tears.

Ulrich sat at the bar nursing his fifth scotch. The bar was quiet at this hour which he was grateful for.

_How could she say that to me? She has no idea what that place was for me. _He thought bitterly.

Ulrich had been the one who found Jack in his room. Afterwards he went through a nervous break down and spent a month in Arkham Asylum. He was released and prescribed medicine which he had just recently stopped taking.

"I'm not crazy." He muttered into his drink.

There was movement next to him as someone sat down.

"Think you've had enough man."

"The fuck are you to tell me if I've had enough?" Ulrich growled.

"Someone who can spot a prat fall waiting to happen." The person said. "I remember the first time I got you wasted. It was senior year and you had just graduated. Handed you a bottle of the hard stuff and told you to make me proud."

"Jack?" Ulrich said, voice breaking.

"No." Odd said. "But he was there. You wanted to drive to Yumi's and proclaim your undying love for her and he had to wrestle you to the ground to get your keys. Remember?"

"Yeah." Ulrich said softly.

"What's going on man?" Odd asked. "You've been a wreck ever since we left. I think I can speak for everyone when I say you're scaring the shit out of us."

"I don't know. I don't know." Ulrich admitted.

"You know Yumi's just worried about you man. She spent half the time you were committed crying her eyes out, worried she'd never see you again."

"She crossed a line Odd. Thinking that I might need to go back? That place was…"

Ulrich remembered the asylum. The constant howls and screams of the mad. The doctors strapping him down to a gurney so they could inject him chemicals to see if they would do anything to him. The medical students that came by to visit the zoo. The maddening pain.

"It was hell." Ulrich said. "It feels like a blur now, like it was a dream but I know it was real. I never want to go back there again. Ever."

"And we don't want you to go back. Why'd you stop taking your pills Ulrich?"

"I don't like what they do to me. I don't feel right when I'm on them. Like I'm not myself. You probably think I'm crazy too don't you?"

"Not crazy. Just a little…"

"Eccentric?"

"Hell no. Your too poor to be eccentric."

Ulrich laughed.

"What then?"

"You're my friend. We've been through so much together and I'm willing to trust you. All of us are. If you really think you might be on to something then we'll follow you through it. What's the worst that can happen? That you be wrong? Then what? We just go home. No big deal."

"I don't know what to think anymore." Ulrich admitted. "Maybe I am losing my mind."

"What's your gut tell you?"

_Someone's watching me._

"_There's something to this. I need to keep going."_

"_Then let's go." Odd said standing up._

_Ulrich downed his drink and let Odd help him up from the bar stool. As they stumbled out of the bar Odd chuckled. _

"_What?" Ulrich slurred._

"_This is sooooo weird! I'm normally the one pissed out of my mind!"_

_The two of them laughed and crossed the street towards the hotel._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: We don't go to Innsmouth

Ulrich spent the night in Odd's room on the sofa not wanting Yumi to see him wasted. He made it through the night without any strange dreams which he would later chalk up to the alcohol. He woke up to the slamming of the hotel room door which was magnified several times by the aching in his head.

"Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!" Odd cooed in his ear.

Ulrich opened a single eye blood shot eye and glared at Odd who was dangling a greasy brown paper bag in front of him.

"What the hell is that?" He muttered.

"Hangover cure. A bacon, sausage and egg sandwich the egg being fried in the grease of said bacon and sausage."

Ulrich groaned and sat up.

"How you feeling?" Odd asked.

"Like something stepped on me and tried to scrape me off on the side walk. What time is it?"

"Quarter past eleven. I talked to the others and they're ready to head out whenever you are."

Ulrich took a bite of the greasy sandwich and nodded.

"Where's Yumi?"

"In your guys room. I told her you crashed in here."

Ulrich stuffed the rest of the sandwich in his mouth and rose from the couch.

"I gotta talk to her." He said.

"All right. I'm going to start loading the van up."

"Okay."

Ulrich left the room and entered his room down the hall. Yumi was packing her bags. She stopped folding a shirt and looked over at Ulrich as he entered.

"Uh… hi." Ulrich said nervously.

"Hi." She said folding her arms awkwardly.

"Look I- uh. Wanted to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't acted like that." Ulrich said.

"Don't worry about it." Yumi said shaking her head. "I shouldn't have said that to you. It was way out of line. I'm sorry too."

"I know how I sound and I don't want to scare you but I don't know how else to explain it." Ulrich said feeling like he was tripping on his own words.

"You don't have to explain it to me. I believe you. We can pursue this as far as you want to and I'll be right behind you every step of the way."

Ulrich embraced her and she hugged him back. He kissed her and they stood there holding each other for awhile.

"Hey!" Odd called from behind them.

They turned to see Odd standing in the doorway.

"We're ready."

Ulrich nodded and helped Yumi get their bags. They checked out of the hotel and loaded up the van.

"Before we leave I'm wanna say good bye to my uncle. Cool?" Ulrich asked.

"Yeah that's fine." Jeremy said.

Ulrich nodded as Odd tossed the last bag into the van and slammed the door shut. They all got into the van again and headed to Ulrich's uncle's home.

"You guys can come if you want to meet him." He said getting out of the van.

"I'll come. I haven't really met anyone of your other family members." Yumi said.

She got out after him as well as everyone else. They followed Ulrich up the steps to the front door of the apartment building and he pressed the buzzer. They waited a moment or so but there was no answer. Ulrich pressed the buzzer again two times in rapid succession.

"Maybe he's not in?" Aelita asked.

"No he never works Sundays."

"He's religious?" Jeremy asked.

"No he's hung over." Ulrich replied.

Ulrich placed his hand on the door knob and gave it a turn.

"It's unlocked." He said.

He opened the door and walked into the apartment building. His uncle's apartment was just down the hall and taped to the door was an envelope with Ulrich written on it in black sharpie. Ulrich tore the envelope off of the door and opened it up. Inside was a note. Ulrich unfolded it and read it aloud.

"Ulrich," he read. "I'll be away by the time you read this. The case I am currently working on has taken me to Innsmouth. If you still want to go I'll meet you there. There's a bus in town that still goes to the old town. It arrives everyday at eight AM, noon, and six PM. I've done some digging and the driver is a man by the name of Joe Sergeant. He's a native to Innsmouth and apparently suffers from a birth defect common among its citizens. Don't stare. See you soon. P."

"Taking the bus? Beats driving aimlessly around the back country roads I guess." Odd said.

"I guess." Jeremy said.

"What time is it?" Ulrich asked.

"Eleven fifty." Aelita said.

"We can walk to the bus stop from here. Jer if you want you can park the van in my uncle's parking spot outside."

Jeremy nodded.

"We should grab a bag to take with us." Aelita said. "We don't know how long we'll stay."

"That's a good idea." Yumi agreed.

They each grabbed one of their travel bags from the van and Jeremy parked it where Ulrich instructed him to. They then followed Ulrich a few blocks up the street until they reached the bus station.

"Time?" Ulrich asked.

"Just past noon." Jeremy said.

"Did we miss it?" Odd asked.

"Let me ask." Ulrich said walking towards the ticket booth.

"Can I help you?" the woman behind the glass asked.

"Yeah have we missed the bus to Innsmouth?"

"No it's running a little late."

"Can I get five tickets?"

"We don't handle the transactions for Innsmouth." She explained. "They re privately owned in the town itself."

"Would you happed to know how much the fare is?"

"I have no idea." She shrugged. "To be honest we hardly ever get anyone asking about Innsmouth. The only people that use the bus are people from the town itself going back and forth for business."

"Not a very popular place?" Ulrich asked.

"You aren't from around here are you?" She smiled.

"Not really."

"Innsmouth is… a local ghost story of sorts." She said. "People whisper rumors and stuff about it but I doubt any of its true. Stories about devil worship and monsters and stuff like that. Honestly it's probably just because of the inhabitants themselves."

"What's wrong with the towns people?" Yumi asked walking up to the ticket booth with the others behind her.

"They suffer from some local birth defect. No one knows for sure what it is but it seems that the older you get the worse it gets. I don't think I've seen anyone older than forty get off that bus."

As if on cue a rattling noise came up the street. Everyone turned to see an old bus driving up the street. It was an ancient thing made out of rusted metal with wooden sides and old fashioned tires. The glass was scratched and dirty with a few windows actually missing. It pulled up beside the bus station and halted to a jerking stop, the brakes shrieking in protest.

"To hell with that." Odd muttered as the door of the death trap on wheels opened.

The only person who got off the bus was a man whom was presumably the driver. Joe Sergeant was a tall man, about six and a half feet with pale skin and a wrinkled forehead that slopped slightly. He had little to no hair, the hair he did have was a light red color and grew in irregular patches on the sides of is head and the back. He had bulging glassy eyes that were a light blue color and a little milky. His had a slouching disposition that bordered on a hump back and his hands and feet were bigger than they should have been with fingers that curled towards his palm. He passed by the group and scowled at them as he walked into the bus station.

"He seems nice." Odd commented.

"What kind of birth defect could cause something like that?" Aelita asked.

"The only thing I can think of is… inbreeding?" Yumi said.

"Ew!"

"You got a purdy mouth." Odd said with a Billy Joe accent.

"Let's just get on the bus." Ulrich said.

"Yeah right! I don't know when I last had a tetanus shot." Odd protested.

"If we're going this is probably our best bet." Jeremy said. "If we drive around looking for a place we don't know the exact location of I don't know how long my cousin's van can last."

"Do what you want." Ulrich said. "I'm getting on."

He grabbed his bag, thanked the ticket lady and headed for the bus. Yumi followed him along with Jeremy and Aelita. Odd sighed and kicked the side walk.

"This is a really bad idea." He muttered.

He sighed again and grabbed his bag. They got on the bus, careful to sit strategically so the vehicle wouldn't tip over. A few minutes later the bus driver returned eating a microwave fish sandwich.

"What the hell are you kids doing on my bus?" He growled as soon as he saw them.

His voice horrible sounding. Like a pit bull with its throat cut, gurgling on its own blood.

"We uh were looking for passage to Innsmouth." Ulrich said standing up.

Joe glared at them and took a large bite from his sandwich. He chewed nastily and swallowed.

"Tickets are ten dollars. A piece." He said.

"That's fine." Ulrich said getting out his wallet.

He handed the man a fifty dollar bill and stood awkwardly as Sergeant inspected it.

"Take your seats." Joe growled.

Ulrich nodded and sat back down next to Yumi. Sergeant took his seat behind the wheel and started the engine. It rumbled to life, shaking the bus with it. He switched gears which made a terrible honking noise and the bus rumbled off. Odd felt around for a seat belt and tried to hook it up. He sighed in relief when he heard the belt click. He moved to adjust it only to see the other end of the belt wasn't connected to anything. The trip was long and uncomfortable. Even though they were on a smooth, flat road the bus lurched in every direction.

Yumi tried to pass the time with a book but every time they hit a bump she would loose her place. Jeremy tried to pass the time by researching birth defects on his computer but couldn't type anything over the swaying of the vehicle. Aelita tried to enjoy the scenery but after an hour or two of driving the scenery changed from the beautiful Massachusetts coast to a sort of unappealing grey sandy marsh with dead trees peppering the landscape. She cast her gaze towards the front of the bus and spotted the bus driver staring at her through the mirror attached to the ceiling in front of the drivers seat. She didn't know if it was her imagination but his eyes never seemed to wink. A shiver went down Aelita's spine and she looked down at her feet, still feeling the icy chill of the bus driver.

It was late afternoon by the time they reached their destination. The town was large but from the looks of it mostly abandoned. The buildings that lined the street were ancient and falling apart, the wood swollen and soft looking . The streets were in horrible condition and were mostly mud with loose cobblestone here and there. The buildings that were made from brick were covered in a thick green slime and looked as if they were ready to crumble into a pile of rubble. They passed through a gate which closed behind them with a creek.

"You guys don't get many visitors?" Ulrich asked.

"Innsmouth don't like strangers poking into its business."

"What about trade? Surely the town has a port being a fishing and shipping community." Jeremy asked.

"Innsmouth can take care of her own." Sergeant answered with a growl.

They drove down another dark street and came into what must have been the town square. It wasn't as bad as the derelict streets behind the gate but that wasn't saying much. There were electric street lights on every street corner but only a little over half of them worked. The buildings architectural style was the same as the ones outside; old and outdated and probably not up to standards and regulations. They passed an old statue in the center of town that was missing its heads and looked as brittle as everything else. They stopped in front of a large old four story building and the bus driver stood up.

"Get out." He growled.

The five of them grabbed their bags and got off the bus without another word. They stood outside the bus and stared at the town around them.

"Well…" Odd said. "Now what?"

"We start looking." Ulrich said.


End file.
